Networking Your Home Security System

There are many home networking security solutions available today through professional security companies such as ADT, Broadview Security (formerly Brinks), GE Security, and others. Alternatively, you may elect to go the do-it-yourself route with an inexpensive wireless or wired home networking kit that includes the following:

Motion sensors

Alarms

Control panels

Key fobs

Wireless cameras

Many of these systems can be connected to your home network to provide remote monitoring capabilities for you when you’re away from home.

An always-on DSL connection may potentially interfere with your alarm panel’s internal modem, which uses analog phone lines. This interference may prevent the alarm panel from reliably communicating with the emergency response center.

Your alarm company can install a DSL line filter to prevent any interference. Although a DSL line filter is simple to install, you should let your alarm company provide and install the line filter to ensure it is installed correctly and that your alarm system continues to work properly.

At one time, alarm systems had to be connected to an analog phone line. These days, many have switched to broadband Voice-over-Internet-Protocol (VoIP) phone services like Vonage or phone service from their cable company, and many more have switched to mobile-only voice services. In these cases, you’re not going to have an analog phone line for alarm monitoring.

Luckily, many alarm monitoring services (for example, NextAlarm) are now offering monitoring services over broadband connections or even over cellular network connections. So don’t feel like you need to keep an expensive extra landline that’s only used for your alarm — you can switch to broadband.